Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-09-03
Brine-Salting Butter.

l am frequently interrogated about
brine sailing butter, MANY failing to get
the butter salt enough by this process.
The trouble in such cases is that no al,
lowance is made for the water already in
the butter before the brine is added. OF
course this water dilutes the brine, and
hence the butter is undersalted. Water,
when cold, will dissolve about Sc per
cent. of its own weight of salt. When the
last water is drawn off there will remain
in the butter Is to 20 per cent. of water.
according as it is more or less thorough
ly drained. When worked and ready
to pack, good butter should contain
II to Is per cent. of water. Salt
enough should be thrown over the butter
to convert the water it contains into satu-
rated brine-that is, all the salt should be
added that the water will dissolve. If this
is evenly stirred in, really there is no use
of pouring on brine. But the brine helps
float the butter and dissolve the added
salt, and as the butter is floating in sat-
urated brine, of course it is evenly sailed
all through. 1t is here understood that
the butter is kept in graduated form.
The brine is drawn off. the butter drained,
and then the butter is either put directly
into the package or gathered into mass
in the churn or on table or butter work
err. No working is required, but only
careful pressing together into solid mass.
The temperature must not be too low, or
the butter will not pack we'll. The
brine, if the butter is properly
washed, can be used over and over
again, each time adding more salt and
water, always being careful to have as
much salt as the water, including the water
in the buttes after washing will dissolve,
In this way there is no trouble, in brine
sailing, or in getting the butter as salt as
it can be made without leaving un-
dissolving salt in it, to grit between the
teeth.
The salt used in sailing butter should
be freely soluble. fine and even grained,
and pure-qualities not found in American
salts. The reason for this is that our
brnes are so impure as to require chemical
publication. This is costly, difficult and
uncertain. Hence American salts are un-
reliable. They may be quite pure at one
time, and quite impure at another. Some
English brines are so pure that they do
not need chemical publication,
but only careful handling to elimi-
nate their impurities. One of the
worst impurities is sulphate of lime, which
appears in the salt in thin scales or flakes
known as "panscale." These are found
more or less in all English salts, except
Higgins Eureka" which is made by {
patented process that entirely eliminates
panscale and as there is no grinding te
produce the grain, which is natural, non'
OF the panscale is ground up in the salt
which is lett almost perfectly pure. Afte1
recently thoroughly examining the Hig
gins salt works, Prof. l.. B. Arnold, thu
great American dairy authority, says: 6
became satisfied that the Eureka salt il
just what it claims to be, very clean
pure and honestly made salt, uniform in
quality, and in as good a condition fol
dairy purposes as any salt ever offered tt
the public.-T. D. CURTIS, in Anaer,car
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